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The Hoarders’ Secret Method for Getting Good Beer

There’s a lot of reasons why someone might not be able to get good craft beer on a regular basis. It might be as simple as where they live. Maybe where they live, the beer selection only gets as exotic as Shock Top.

Poor bastards.

But there could be other problems keeping these pour souls from good beer!

Maybe time is an issue. “A-Types” are either super-busy (or super-lazy “B-Types”) and just want good beer to magically show up at the door each month without thinking, effort, or exertion on their part.

OR, more likely, they’re a Hoarder and just can’t get out for beer.

Yes. I said it. A beer geek trapped by piles of junk.

This is someone who would like to shop for great beer, but just can’t get out of the house because of the piles of moldy newspapers and broken down, rusted appliances blocking the doorway.

Still, here at The Brew Club, we strive to provide useful information and camaraderie to beer geeks of all lifestyles, including, the hapless Beer Geek Hoarder.

One possible solution is “The Original” Craft Beer Club which is one of many beer-of-the-month type services available to the beer-loving consumer. The premise is that you can sign up for a subscription, and each month you’ll get a nicely packaged box of 12 beers delivered to your door.

You can’t beat the convenience, that’s for sure, and when I was offered a sample beer delivery to review, I had to say YES! (For the beer geek hoarders who need me.)

As you can see from the picture, the beer arrives in a sturdy, but nondescript box.

(This is preferable to packaging with “BEER INSIDE” printed all over it, especially if you live next to several rehab clinics like I do.)

All of the bottles were in perfect condition, thanks to the packaging. If you’re a beer geek hoarder, this packing material seems so be all cardboard and formed recycled newspaper. Not only does it protect the contents wonderfully, but it will likely degrade very nicely over the years in your basement or bedroom into some pulpy stuff from which new life will arise.

A 16 Pound Box? I Shit You Not. What’s Inside?

You’ll get 12 beers from two different breweries. Six beers from one, six beers from another. Broken down further, you’ll get 2 different beer styles from each of those two breweries.

In this case, my box had 6 beers from Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin, and 6 beers from Cisco Brewing in Massachusetts. Lakefront was represented by 3 bottles of their “Eye PA” (an IPA) and “Fixed Gear” (American Red Ale). Cisco came in with 3 bottles of “Whales Tale” (English-style pale ale) and 3 of their Blonde Ale.

That’s a pretty good mix! IPA, Red Ale, Pale Ale and Blonde Ale.

Empty bottles, of course, are also hoardable items. If you’re a member for a year you’ll end up with 144 of them! Keep in mind, the empty bottles won’t degrade in your lifetime, but you probably can set them up to grow different mold cultures or mushrooms in the basement.

Having since tried all of the different beers, (not at once silly!) I liked the Pale Ale best and the Red Ale least, but they were four beers I had NEVER tired before from Breweries I had never tried before. Cool!

To sweeten the deal, they threw in a set of four tasting glasses which are good if you share beer (I don’t) with friends (I don’t have any) , but the thought of sharing with people is very nice if you’re into that sort of thing. Also provided were 4 varieties of flavored peanuts (too salty but I ate them anyway), and a very solid bottle opener.

Those goodies come in your first shipment if you subscribe for 12 months, not each shipment – but it was a nice touch.

What does come with each shipment is a printed flyer (that looks like this) with a bit of history regarding the brewer, as well as a blurb describing each beer. Each sheet also has food pairing suggestions, but I’m not much into food pairing.

Looking at their site, you can sign up for the monthly beer shipment for $37.75 with no shipping charge. Other clubs offer cheaper subscription options, but with added shipping charges, it turns out to be the same thing concerning your wallet. Remember, this is a 16 pound box. Someone is paying for shipping!

Do I like it?

Yes, I think its a great option for people who don’t have the awesome access to craft beer like I do here in NJ, people looking for a convenient way to try new beer, people who want to get a cool gift for a beer lover, or for people who might be trapped behind a mountain of moth-eaten mattresses picked out of other people’s trash. Its all good.

If you want to check out the Original Craft Beer Club for yourself, you can do so by following this link.

PS: If you happen to purchase through this link, (and I hope you do) please note I’m paid a small commission that helps me keep this site running and perhaps pays the beer tab now and then!

4 Comments

I just recently started getting a “Beer of the Month Club” for my birthday. I really love getting beers from areas that are not accessible to me. It’s really a great gift and I hope that I get a renewal next year.

But Scott, you *do* have friends. Twelve ounce ones, growlers… Thanks for the write-up. I had considered ordering a subscription to sample beers not available locally…will have to with the next good paycheck.